The RecordLOCAL 1-2

INTERNALINTERNAL ORGANIZING BEGINSORGANIZING BEGINS

President Farrell greets Union Organizational Specialist Paul F. McCarthy

Paul F. McCarthy is a Union Organizational Specialist and has been a Union Strategist,

Consultant and Chief Negotiator for organized labor since 1968. Paul holds a B.A. from Boston

College and a Masters degree from UMass at Amherst.

President Farrell has asked Paul to work with Local 1-2 to begin an internal organizing pro-

gram here. He met with a group of members on Saturday, June 27, 2009 at the LaGuardia Marriott,

and trained them to become Internal Organizers.

You will be hearing from our Internal Organizers beginning in September and continuing

throughout the fall and winter months of 2009.

POWER FOR AMERICA CONFERENCE INSIDE

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The RecordUtility Worker Union of America,

AFL-CIO, Local 1-2

Harry J. FarrellPresident

Andrew O'ConnellVice President

Lucia E. PaganoSecretary-Treasurer

Senior Business AgentsJohn Capra

Robert FarrellJames Slevin

Business AgentsPaul Albano

Reggie DavisBruce Farina

Dominic MarzulloAnthony Pedagna

James ShillittoRobert K. StahlAnthony Vallone

Lisa Vella

Financial ObserversVito Carbonara

Stephen DiDomenicoLawrence Flynn

Executive Board Chairman - Richard McNally

Secretary - Donald Weidmann

Joseph Argila Jack PorcelloAntonio Chiarelli Norman Russell Thomas Cunningham Robert RussoDorothy Curry Raymond SherwoodGloria Draffin James Spry Steve Frange John Stadtmuller Emilio Frederick Darryl TaylorSalvatore Guercio Justo VegaChristopher Katzmann Richard VelochiDesmond J. Loughran Marc Vingelli Chilung Lucas Frank VivolaDaniel J. McNamara Robert Vuono

EditorHarry J. Farrell

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NUCLEAR ENERGY IS GREEN ENERGY

In Memoriam

Professor Irwin GellerProfessor Irwin Geller, Esq. , Esq.

October 26, 1944 to March 15, 2009October 26, 1944 to March 15, 2009

Professor Geller was the General Counsel of Local 1-2

from 1990 to 1998. Professor Geller was a graduate of Yeshiva

University and Yale Law where he graduated in the top 10% of his

class. He was a member of Mensa and was renowned for his

kindness and civility. Professor Geller was also an Adjunct

Professor of Law at Fordham University.

Irwin Geller will always be remembered for the copious

amount of legal work he did for working men and women, espe-

cially scores of Local 1-2 members that he represented in various

legal forums free of charge. Professor Geller loved working men

and women and the feeling was mutual.

Irwin Geller will be sorely missed. May his gentle and

good soul find peace and solace for all eternity. Farewell dear

friend.

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SEPTEMBER 2009

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FROM THE DESK OF ……HARRY J. FARRELL – PRESIDENT, LOCAL

As you can see from thecover article we have begun aprogram of Internal Organizing.This is a program designed tobetter inform our members asto what their Union is and whatit does on a daily basis, week toweek and going forward fromyear to year. We will also beginan intensive Shop StewardTraining Program beginning thisfall to better prepare and trainour Shop Steward to meet thechallenges we face on a dailybasis. As you know, ConEdison is our major employerand 90% of our members are

employed by Con Edison. Con

Edison recently concluded

negotiations for a Successor

Collective Bargaining

Agreement with the workers at

Orange and Rockland and the

workers at Con Edison (Staten

Island). Both of those groups

are represented by the

International Brotherhood of

Electric Workers I.B.E.W. It is

not my intent or purpose to criti-

cize these Local Unions, but

suffice to say they are small

Locals going up against a giant

Corporation, Con Edison. Both

groups now have a Cash

Balance Pension for all new

hires. What is particularly

galling is that people in Human

Resources at Con Edison and

some Executives at very high

levels are gloating over the con-

tracts, i.e. they cannot contain

their glee. This is a Company

that takes great pleasure in

what they think is rolling over a

small Collective Bargaining

Unit. This is a Company that

out of one side of its mouth

talks of culture change while on

the other side of its mouth

gloats over perceived victories

at contract negotiations. This is

a Company that has a profound

“us against them” mentality

deeply embedded in its culture.

The internal organizing, Shop

Steward training, and Introduc-

tion to the Union for our newer

members are all attempts to

make our Union stronger to

meet the needs of our members

going forward. A Union, any

Union, is only as strong as its

members. We need your

strength, your voice and your

will to be heard at all levels of

this Company. To paraphrase a

concept of our great country’s

founding fathers, “We all need

to hang together, or we will all

hang separately.”

FROM THE DESK OF ……HARRY J. FARRELL – PRESIDENT, LOCAL 1-2

President Farrell and Paul McCarthy explain the intricacies of Internal Organizing.

FROM THE DESK OF .....ANDREW O’CONNELL - VICE-PRESIDENT, LOCAL 1-2

Once again, it looks as if

the Democratic party is

about to abandon organized

labor. The Democrats now

have a 60 seat majority in

the Senate. It is filibuster

proof and can avoid cloture.

That means that if the

Senate Majority Leader, the

Senate Majority Whip and

the President of the United

States can get behind the

Employee Free Choice Act,

it can and will pass into law.

Look at what happened

when the Republican party

held similar majorities in

Congress.

In 1947 when theRepublicans had filibuster-proof majorities inCongress, the Taft-Hartly(Slave Labor) Act was madeinto law over PresidentTruman’s veto. That lawhinders working people fromacting in concert with eachother to defend and protecttheir interests.

In 1959 with aRepublican controlledCongress and ExecutiveBranch the Landrum-GriffinAct was made law severelyrestricting the power of Unions. Now the shoe is on

the other foot, the

Democrats have the power.

If the Democratic Party

fails to deliver and instead

only passes some watered

down toothless version of

the Employee Free Choice

Act, then the old adage

“with Democrats like these

who needs Republicans”

rings true.

Contact yourContact your

Senators Senators

and urge them and urge them

to suppor t theto suppor t the

Employee FreeEmployee Free

Choice Choice ActAct

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Excellent participation at the Internal Organizing initial meeting.

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EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT

The Employee Free Choice Act ("EFCA") is a bill currently pending before the United StatesCongress to even the playing field when a union is trying to organize a group of workers and toprovide arbitration of a first collective bargaining agreement if the employer stalls negotiations.Former Senator Alfonse D'Amato wrote an article which recently appeared in a local newspaper, inwhich he argued that EFCA was "anti-democratic" because it would eliminate the worker's right to asecret ballot on whether to be represented by a union and would lead, in his words, to "Union goons"being "free to coerce workers into signing up for the union." Senator D'Amato then parroted the pro-corporation, anti-union line that passage of this bill would "increase the power of union bosses" and"bring back" political corruption. He asserted that union membership "should be a choice for workersas well as the employers and businesses that employ them."

Local 1-2 President Harry J. Farrell, believing that employers and businesses should nothave any say in choosing their employees' unions, wrote the following response to formerSenator D'Amato:

In a recent article in your papers, Corporate Lobbyist Alfonse D’Amato has joined the $200 million

media campaign funded by large corporations to distort the facts about The Employee Free Choice Act.

Lobbyist D’Amato has added his voice to the cacophony of distortions and lies in an attempt to demonize the

American Labor Movement. Mr. D’Amato fails to note in his column that he represents the offshore gambling

industry among many other business interests.

The American Labor Movement is responsible for the 40 hour work week, Child Labor Laws, Workers

Compensation, the requirement of Employers to provide a safe work place, etc. etc. It has been an avenue

for workers to join the rapidly disappearing middleclass and a catalyst for a more egalitarian society where

every American can pursue his or her version of the American dream, while the business interests such as

those which pay for Mr. D’Amato’s services always opposed these laws which improved and protected the

lives of America’s workers.

Contrary to the thrust of Lobbyist D’Amato’s propaganda, the Employee Free Choice Act does not take

away any rights of America’s workers. To the contrary, it adds to those rights. Under current law, a union can

become the representative of a group of workers either through an NLRB election or through recognition by

an employer based on a majority of the employees signing cards. That would not change under the

Employee Free Choice Act. What would change is that, now, it is the boss who has the choice while the

Employee Free Choice Act, true to its name, would give that choice to the employees. If they want a secret

ballot vote, they would still have a right to it; but if they want recognition based on majority sign-up, they could

choose that route. The proposal simply puts the choice where it belongs – in the hands of the workers, not of

the bosses.

Over 50% of American workers said they would join or form a Union. Under current law that is almost

impossible. This is what President Obama has said about The Employee Choice Act: “Finally, to help workers

gain higher wages and better benefits, we need once again to level the playing field between organized labor

and employers. Since the early 1980s, unions have been steadily losing ground, not just because of changes

in the economy but also because today’s labor laws and the make-up of the National Labor Relations Board

have provided workers with very little protection. Each year, more than twenty thousand workers are fired or

lose wages simply for trying to organize and join unions. That needs to change. We should have tough

penalties to prevent employers from firing or discriminating against workers involved in organizing efforts.

Employers should have to recognize a union if a majority of employees sign authorization cards choosing the

union to represent them. And federal mediation should be available to help an employer and a new union

reach agreement on a contract within a reasonable amount of time.”

It is not the unions who use strong-arm tactics in contests over representation, as Mr. D’Amato wrong-

ly asserts. It is the bosses who engage in totalitarian practices. Currently, 4 out of 5 employers hire profes-

sional union-busters, often law firms, who train supervisors to go one on one with employees to rip up the

union. Under current labor law, these bosses hold what is known as “captive audience” meetings, which all

workers must attend under penalty of discharge, where they, like Mr. D’Amato, call union supporters “goons”,

predict the business will go belly up if the workers vote for a Union or otherwise tell their employees, without

any factual basis, that there will be massive layoffs if they vote for a union. They also fire employees who

voice their opinion to support the union and/or make promises to employees of improved wages, benefits or

other working conditions if the union does not win, knowing that there is no real penalty for this blatant viola-

tion of the law. The bosses rely on the fact that the NLRB cannot fine or penalize them for bribing or intimi-

dating their workers and that, even if they fire someone for supporting the union, there is only a small chance

they will be caught and that the only financial outlay the company will have might be some backpay. This

stacked deck is the real reason there has been such a huge diminution in organized labor in the private sec-

tor. The Employee Free Choice Act would even the playing field; and that is the real reason that business

groups are fighting the legislation in the Senate. They never have had any true concern about any supposed

infringement on workers’ democratic rights.

Why is there a sudden concern for democracy from Mr. D’Amato and his allies? Why is there no call

for democracy in running their businesses? Why won’t corporations allow their shareholders secret ballot

votes on executive compensation? How about a secret ballot by the shareholders on golden parachutes or

on CEO stock options? How about a secret ballot among the workers on who their bosses should be or on

any issue, when there is no union, on their wages or benefits or the safety of the workplace? No, the compa-

nies are only interested in “democracy” when they can control the campaign and use fear and intimidation to

scare their workers to vote the way the bosses want.

Don’t let Mr. D’Amato and the business interests he represents fool America into maintaining the sta-

tus quo, with all the money continuing to flow to the top while the middleclass and workers pay all the taxes

and assume all the burdens. Look at these shocking statistics:

"32% of workers lack a collective bargaining agreement one year after voting for union representation, due toweak labor law enabling employers to avoid bargaining with employees."

- U.S. TRADE DEFICIT REVIEW COMMISSION

"Every 23 minutes a U.S. worker is fired or retaliated against for their support of a union."- NLRB ANNUAL REPORTS

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EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT CONT’D - President Farrell’s response

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"91% of employers force employees to attend one-on-one anti-union meetings with their supervisors duringunion organizing drives."

- CENTER FOR URBAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

"51% of employers illegally coerce workers into opposing unions with bribes or special favors during unionorganizing drives."

- CENTER FOR URBAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

"30% of employers illegally fire pro-union workers during union organizing drives."- CENTER FOR URBAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

"49% of employers illegally threaten to close a worksite during union organizing drives if workers choose toform a union."

- CENTER FOR URBAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

"46% of workers report being pressured by management during NLRB elections."- AMERICAN RIGHTS AT WORK

"80% of union workers in the U.S. have health benefits through their job, compared with 49% of non-union workers."- U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

"U.S. workers who belong to unions earn 30 percent more than non-union workers."-U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

"12% of U.S. workers have a union in their workplace, but 53% of U.S. workers would like one.” - U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Sincerely,

Harry J. FarrellPresidentLocal 1-2

EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT CONT’D - President Farrell’s response

Pope Benedict XVI earlier this year has issued an encyclical letter onlabor titled “Caritas in Veritate” Charity in Truth. In this encyclical the spiritu-al leader of over 1 billion roman catholics stated...

• Once profit becomes the exclusive goal, if it is produced by impropermeans and without the common good as its ultimate end, it risks destroyingwealth and creating poverty.

• What is meant by the word ‘decency’ in regard to work? It means work thatexpresses the essential dignity of every man and woman in the context oftheir particular society: work that is freely chosen, effectively associatingworkers, both men and women, with the development of their community;

work that enables the worker to be respected and free from any form of discrimination; work thatmakes it possible for families to meet their needs and provide schooling for the children.

• Financiers must rediscover the genuinely ethical foundation of their activity, so as not to abuse thesophisticated instruments which can serve to betray the interests of savers.

• Labor unions - which have always been encouraged and supported by the Church, identifycivil society as the proper setting for their necessary activity of defending and promoting labour,especially on behalf of exploited and unrepresented workers, whose woeful condition is oftenignored by the distracted eye of society.

• Uncertainty over working conditions caused by mobility and deregulation, tends to create newforms of psychological instability, leading to situations of human decline, to say nothing of the wasteof social resources.

Commentary

Corporate Executives and CEO’s of the Catholic faith graduates of renouned CatholicUniversitie such as Notre Dame, Manhattan College and Fordham University will do what they havealways done in relation to the expressions of their Spiritual Leader: They will, as always read, laughat, scoff and ignore the teachings of the Leader of their Church, when those teachingsinsist on the the humane treatment of workers.

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PAPAL ENCYCLICAL

s

Pictured below is a practice picket that was held just before the expiration ofthe Collective Bargaining Agreement. Fortunately, we did not have to invoke thereal thing. The new Collective Bargaining Agreement was ratified by a 95% plural-ity on July 10, 2009. The new Agreement contains a 3.5% raise for every year ofthe contract totaling a 15% increase over the life of the contract plus the retentionof all bonuses and our Defined Benefits Pension. On behalf of the Officers and Staffof the Local Union President Farrell would like to thank and commend our mem-bers employed by TransCanada at Ravenswood and thank them for the tremendoussoldarity and support. Well done.

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NEW CONTRACT AT RAVENSWOOD

On Saturday, August 1, 2009, the children of our members came to the UnionHall to compete for the Union’s Annual Scholarship. Pictured below aresome of the applicants and some of our members.

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UNION SCHOLARSHIP

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2009 NATIONAL POWER 4 AMERICA CONFERENCE

National Union holds Power 4 America Conference

On April 22 to 24, the Utility Workers Local Union representatives and members gathered inLas Vegas for three days of intensive training to organize our future. Utility Workers from all acrossthe country came together for this event and were addressed by the new Secretary of Labor theHonorable Hilda Solis and by Vice-President Joe Biden.

U.W.U.A. National President D. MichaelLangford welcomes the attendees to the

Power 4 America conference.

Stewart Acuff, Assistant to the President, AFL-CIO brings greetings from the National AFL-

CIO.

Edwin D. Hill, President, InternationalBrotherhood of Electrical Workers (I.B.E.W.)

lends his support.

United States Secretary of Labor Hilda L.Solis addresses the conference.

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POWER 4 AMERICA CONFERENCE AGENDA

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POWER 4 AMERICA CONFERENCE AGENDA

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POWER 4 AMERICA CONFERENCE AGENDA

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POWER 4 AMERICA CONFERENCE AGENDA

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Scenes from ...2009 NATIONAL POWER 4 AMERICA CONFERENCE

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Scenes from ...2009 NATIONAL POWER 4 AMERICA CONFERENCE

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REPORT OF THE BY-LAW COMMITTEE

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BY-LAW

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BY-LAW

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BY-LAW

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BY-LAW

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RETIREES CORNER

Local 1-2 Substance Abuse Counselor John Skully meetswith Stage and Screen Actor Dennis Leary (Rescue

Me) at new training center on Randall’s Island.

Jack Ryan and Con Ed Retirees enjoy the sunburst at City Island

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JOHN E. DEARIE

The annual Charity Softball game was recently held and ConEdison and Local 1-2 raised $10,000 for The Mercy First Orphanage and$2,000 for Guiding Eyes For The Blind. Local 1-2 President Harry J.Farrell and Con Edison Vice-President Claude Trahan present checks tothe local charities.

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ANNUAL CHARITY SOFTBALL GAME

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GVS

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FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

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FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

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FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

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FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

SCENESSCENES FROMFROMAPRIL GENERALAPRIL GENERAL MEMBERSHIPMEMBERSHIP MEETINGMEETING

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LOCAL 1-2UTILITY WORKERS UNION OF AMERICA, A.F.L.- C.I.O.

MEMBERSHIP MEETINGPLACE: THE MASONIC HALL- GRAND LODGE ROOM

71 WEST 23TH STREET, 3RD FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY(BETWEEN 5TH & 6TH AVENUE)

DATE: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2009TIME: 6:15 P.M.

ADMISSION ONLY TO MEMBERS IN GOOD STANDINGBY UNION CARD OR COMPANY I.D. CARD

Fraternally,ALL DAY BY-LAW VOTE9:00 A.M. TO 9:00 P.M. Lucia E. Pagano

Secretary-Treasurer

IT’S IMPORTANT

UTILITY WORKERS UNION OF AMERICA

Local 1-2, Affiliated with AFL-CIO5 West 37th Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10018

DATED MATERIAL - DELIVER IMMEDIATELY

NON-PROFIT ORG.

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

NEW YORK, N.Y.

PERMIT NO. 1615

UNIONUNIONMEETINGMEETING